Halo 2
Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios for the Xbox video game console and is forwards-compatible with the Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved (and the second installment of the Halo game series) and features a newly built graphics engine with the addition of new elements to the game. Halo 2 develops the struggle between the United Nations Space Command, Covenant, and the Flood during the Human-Covenant War in the fall of 2552. This game is also possible to play on the Xbox 360. It was also released for PC and it is one of the most popular video games for the Xbox with eight million copies sold. Halo 2 was very successful in sales. In company with PlayStation 2's hit of the year, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it was the most sought-after video game among critics and gamers in 2004. Three weeks prior to launch, stores in the U.S. alone had pre-sold 1.5 million copies of the game to consumers. When it launched for the Xbox on the 9th of November, over 7000 video game, toy and electronics stores in the U.S. opened at midnight to welcome fanatical fans. Halo 2 instantly began to prosper. One retailer sold 8,500 copies of the game in just 11 minutes, and another had sold 200,000 units by daybreak. Early on the launch day, Microsoft expected Halo 2 to generate more money in 24 hours on store shelves than any game had done before. Moore said “I'm calling a $100 million day on Halo today.” Halo 2 went on to be the success that Microsoft was anticipating, selling approximately 2.4 million copies in North America in 24 hours, generating $125 million. The video game software retailer GameStop sold more than half a million Halo 2 copies in one day. Three weeks after its release, Halo 2 had sold more than 5 million copies.http://www.xbox.com/en-US/press/2004/1202-halo2.htm Campaign Features Weapons These are the weapons in the game: United Nations Space Command Standard *BR55 Battle Rifle *M6C Personal Defense Weapon System (Pistol/Magnum) *M7 Caseless Submachine Gun (SMG) *M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade (Frag Grenade) *M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun *M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher *M68 Gauss Cannon *M90A Close Assault Weapon System (Shotgun) *M247 General Purpose Machine Gun (Machine Gun Turret) *SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle Forerunner Weapons *Sentinel Beam Covenant Standard *Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade (Plasma Grenade) *Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword (Energy Sword) *Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol (Plasma Pistol) *Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle (Plasma Rifle) *Type 26 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun (Shade) *Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher (Needler) *Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon (Fuel Rod Gun) *Type-50 Sniper Rifle System (Beam Rifle) *Type-51 Carbine (Covenant Carbine) *Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon (Plasma Cannon) *Scarab Gun (Only found in the level Metropolis and Outskirts) Jiralhanae *Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer (Gravity Hammer/Fist of Rukt) *Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle (Jiralhanae) (Brute Plasma Rifle) *Type-25 Grenade Launcher (Brute Shot) Vehicles UNSC Vehicles Usable *M12 Warthog LRV *M12G1 Warthog LAAV *M808B Scorpion MBT *D77-TC Pelican Dropship(Through a glitch in Metropolis) Non Usable *D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship *Albatross Heavy Dropship *C709 Longsword Interceptor *UNSC Frigate * (FFG-142) * *Orbital Defense Platform *[[Cairo Station|ODA-142 Cairo]] *[[Malta Station|ODA-143 Malta]] *[[Athens Station|ODA-144 Athens]] Covenant Vehicles Usable *Type-?? "Spectre" Infantry Support Vehicle *Type-25 "Wraith" Assault Gun Carraige *Type-26 "Banshee" Ground Support Aircraft (also a Heretic Banshee) *Type-32 "Ghost" Rapid Assault Vehicle Non Usable *Assault Carrier *CCS-class Battlecruiser *''High Charity'' *Seraph-class Starfighter *Type-?? "Shadow" Troop Carrier *Type-47 "Scarab" Ultra Heavy Assault Platform *Type-52 "Phantom" Troop Carrier Halo 2 Multiplayer Unlike its predecessor, Halo 2 allows players to compete with each other over the Xbox Live online service, in addition to the originals support for split-screen and System Link multiplayer. Halo 2's Xbox Live mode offers a unique approach to online gaming that is intended to alleviate some of the problems that have plagued online first-person shooters in the past. Traditionally, one player sets his or her computer or console up as a game server (or host), specifying the game type and map and configuring other settings. The game software then uses a service like Xbox Live or GameSpy to advertise the game to the world at large; other players choose which game to join based upon criteria such as the map and game options each host is offering as well as the ping times they are able to receive. In Halo 2, Xbox Live players do not choose to host games, and they do not get to specify individual maps and options to search for. Instead, players sign up for "playlists" that are geared to different styles of play. For example, the "Rumble Pit" playlist offers a variety of "free-for-all" game types, primarily Slayer or variations there of; "Team Skirmish" offers a number of 4-on-4 team games, which are primarily objective-based games like Capture the Flag; "Big Team Battle Skirmish" is similar to Team Skirmish but allows teams of up to 8 players. Other playlists allow various things such as matches between different clans. The Xbox Live servers create games automatically from the pool of players that have signed up for each playlist, choosing a game type and map automatically and selecting one player to serve as the game's host. Players can create small "parties" with their friends and enter games together as teammates or, in Rumble Pit, adversaries. They can also play custom gametypes like regular multiplayer. Unranked gametypes allow people on the same Xbox console without an Xbox Live account to play with them as "guests". If the Xbox console hosting the game drops out, the Xbox Live service automatically selects a new host from among the remaining players so the game can continue. Note: It appears that the host has some advantages over other players during the game due to lag (giving him the ability to move/react faster than the other players, and for certain glitches to work), resulting in a form of cheating called bridging in which somebody uses their PC to get host. Since launching in November 2004, the service has been very popular with gamers. While some players resent the loss of individual control inherent in Halo 2's approach to online gaming, others feel it provides a significantly improved gaming experience compared to more traditional online first-person shooters. Bungie's servers match players up by skill level, which tends to eliminate the kind of severely imbalanced games that less-skilled players often consider unfair and not enjoyable. The automatic host selection process also eliminates the ability of the host to exert outsize control over the parameters of the game. Halo 2 players with Microsoft Passport accounts can log on to bungie.net and obtain extremely detailed statistics on their performance, including level maps for several hundred of the player's most recent games that indicate graphically where and when the player scored a kill or was killed him- or herself. Maps Standard Maps *Lockout *Ascension *Midship *Ivory Tower *Beaver Creek *Burial Mounds *Colossus *Zanzibar *Coagulation *Headlong *Waterworks *Foundation Bonus Map Pack Bonus Map Pack is a downloadable content package for Halo 2. It was released on April 25, 2005 as a free download sponsored by Mountain Dew. The maps included in this Map Pack are: *Containment *Warlock Killtacular Pack Killtacular Pack is a downloadable content package for Halo 2. It was released on April 25, 2005 for $4.99 and was made permanently free on June 28, 2005. The maps included in this Map Pack are: *Sanctuary *Turf Maptacular Pack Maptacular Pack is a downloadable content package for Halo 2. It was released on July 5, 2005 for $11.99 and was made permanently free on August 30, 2005. The maps included in this Map Pack are: *Backwash *Elongation *Gemini *Relic *Terminal Blastacular Pack Blastacular Pack is a downloadable content package for Halo 2. It was released on April 17, 2007 for $4.00 and re-released as an updated package on May 7, 2007 (still for $4.00), as several glitches discovered in the included content had been fixed. Blastacular Pack was made permanently free on July 7, 2007 (Bungie Day). The maps included in this Map Pack are: *Desolation *Tombstone Halo 2 Vista Special Map Edition Exclusive to Halo 2 Vista are 2 new maps which are: *District *Uplift *Example Player Damage System The damage system in Halo 2 is much different from what it was in Halo: Combat Evolved. The player has a regenerating shield and regenerating health. *'Energy Shields:' The Shield in Halo 2 is slightly weaker than it was in Halo: Combat Evolved, but recharges at a higher rate. It slowly decreases in power as it sustains damage. After it takes damage, it starts to recharge 2-5 seconds after the last time damage was sustained. It will stop during recharge if the player is hurt during that period. The power is displayed above the motion tracker in the bottom-left of the screen. *'Health:' In Halo 2, once the shields run out, the player also has a buffer of health. Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved, the health in Halo 2 regenerates after the shield. The amount of health left is not visible to the player. Bungie's explanation for this new system is the addition of a biofoam dispenser in the armor (so health regenerates after time). Powerups There are two types of normal powerups available in Halo 2: *'Overshield:' An enhanced, non-regenerating shield which adds an additional two layers to your shield (red, then green). The Overshield functions on top of the regular shield - when it is active, the normal shield does not take damage. However, the Overshield will gradually reduce in power until it is gone, at which point the player's normal shields will be vulnerable to damage. Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved, the Overshield powerup is not available in the single player campaign. *'Active Camouflage:' A powerup that makes the player almost completely invisible for a period of time, making all but a faint outline of him transparent. This effect is reduced if the player is hit by weapons fire, if he or she fires a weapon or throws a grenade, or in some cases if he or she switches weapons. In campaign mode, active camouflage is only available in levels in which you play as the Arbiter. However, note that the Energy Sword will give away the user's position, as while the player is invisible, the sword is not.(note: on multi player, if the Overshield technology and the Active Camouflage are used in conjunction the Active Camouflage is not sophisticated enough to hide the enhanced over shields) ''Halo 2'': Original Soundtrack There are two volumes of the Halo 2 soundtrack, one released alongside the game, and the other released in Early 2006. You can usually find them at any retail store that sells music or games, or Ebay. Marketing Promotions and Release I Love Bees During the summer of 2004, the website ilovebees.com was used as a publicity site for Halo 2, with the site being pointed to by adverts for the game during movie trailers. Ostensibly a beekeeper's personal site, the server appeared to have been taken over by an unstable A.I. whose thoughts are scattered on the site. Trailers In 2002, Bungie released the first glimpse of Halo 2 in a pre-rendered CG trailer. The trailer featured the Master Chief in his new MJOLNIR Mark VI Armor preparing for battle in a space station. Cortana is also heard and has dialogue with the Chief. It also featured Earth and s in orbit. The UNSC seem to be losing in the battle. The events of this trailer were featured in the final version of Halo 2. Some of the events and dialogue of this trailer was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game. Most of this now appears in the Halo 2 level Cairo Station. *''Halo 2'' Announcement Trailer *''Halo 2'' Cinematic Trailer Demonstrations E3 2003 In 2003 at E3, Bungie released footage of a playable in-game demo of the Halo 2 campaign. The demo featured the battle on Earth in the city of New Mombasa. Master Chief, Cortana, Sergeant Johnson, Corporal Perez, Major Easley, and Sergeant Banks were all seen/heard in the demo. The demo showed off new features like Dual-Wielding (the Master Chief could actually keep both his dual-wielded weapons when he switched to his secondary sidearm; this was changed for the final product), Vehicle Damage, and Boarding. Three new vehicles shown were the Gauss Warthog, Shadow, and the Covenant Phantom, which at the time had only one plasma turret on its underside instead of three. Returning vehicles featured the Ghost, Pelican, Covenant Cruiser, and Longsword Fighters. New weapons the Battle Rifle, SMG, and Brute Shot were also shown, although the final Brute Shot design for Halo 2 was vastly different than what was shown in this trailer. New enemies such as the brutes were shown in this demo, but as a secondary warrior race by the side of the elites. The events of this demo were featured in the final version of Halo 2. Some of the events and dialog of this demo was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game, such as the AAA Gun becoming a Scarab. Most of this now appears in the Halo 2 level; Metropolis. E3 2004 In 2004 at E3, Bungie released footage of a playable in game demo of the Halo 2 multi player. The demo featured the multiplayer map Zanzibar and displayed playable character models the Spartan model and the Elite model. It also showed off some of the weaponry of the game and some special features. The Battle Rifle, SMG, Needler, Rocket Launcher, and Energy Sword were displayed. The Gauss Warthog and the Ghost also made an appearance. Some features included the lock-on feature of the Rocket Launcher, the Dual-Wielding ability, Explosive Barrels, Ghost's boosting, vehicle boarding, Warthogs horn and Gauss Cannon and Sword Lunging. Afterward, fans were allowed to try out the demo. ''Halo 2'' Versions Halo 2 shipped in two versions: Halo 2 Regular Edition ($49.99 at launch, now $15.00) *Standard Xbox game case with Halo 2 box art. *''Halo 2'' for Xbox (also for Xbox 360) *''Halo 2'' game manual from the Humans' perspective. *Pamphlet advertising Halo 2: The Official Guide and Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume 1. *2 month Xbox Live trial card. *Limited edition Elite manual. Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition ($54.99 at launch, now discontinued) *Sleek metal case with outer plastic slipcover. *''Halo 2'' for Xbox. (also for Xbox 360) *''Halo 2'' game manual from the Covenant's perspective (written as a report from the Arbiter to the Prophet of Truth) *"Making of Halo 2" DVD with other features including game design, deleted scenes, concept art, deleted content and more. *Pamphlet advertising Halo 2: The Official Guide and Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume 1. *Booklet called Conversations from the Universe. *7-Eleven Slurpee coupon (advertising the three Limited Edition Halo 2 Slurpee cups). *2 month Xbox Live trial card specially printed with Halo 2 imagery. Reception Halo 2 sold 5 million copies, making it the second-best selling Xbox game, with approximately 19% of all Xbox owners possessing a copy of Halo 2. The game also had the most successful opening night of any game up until Halo 3, and, later, Grand Theft Auto 4. The game had a generally amazing reception, gaining a 9.7 out of 10 from OXM, a 9.8 out of 10 from IGN, a 10 out of 10 from Game Informer, a 9 out of 10 from Play Magazine, and a 5 out of 5 from X-Play. It gained more Game of The Year awards in 2004 than any other game that year. X-Play, in late 2006, included it as #3 in their top 4 greatest shooters of all time. #4 was Resistance, #2 Half-Life 2, and #1 was Gears of War. In early 2007, it made #8 on their top 10 Games of All Time countdown. The game had an average meta-score of 95 out of 100, making it the 3rd most critically acclaimed Xbox game, right behind Halo: Combat Evolved and the Grand Theft Auto Triple Pack. The games multiplayer was held to be one of the best of all time, staying consistently number 1 the most played Xbox Live title from November of 2004 up until November of 2006, when Gears of War released. Reaction Generally, the game was positively received. Multiplayer especially was noted in being the best on Xbox Live at the time. Game Informer, along with numerous other publications, rated it lower than Halo: Combat Evolved, citing enhanced multiplayer and more repetitive gameplay. Halo 2 received multiple awards, including Best Console game of the month. Most critics noted that Halo 2 stuck with the formula that made its predecessor successful, and was alternatively praised and faulted for this decision. Edge noted in its review, “It's fitting that we're able to steal a line from the script to sum everything up. No spoilers here, just an epitaph, from the moment Cortana turns to Master Chief and says this: 'It’s not an original plan. But we know it’ll work.'" According to Xbox.com, the game has received more than 38 individual awards. The game's campaign mode has received some criticism for being too short, in addition to some dissatisfaction with the abrupt, cliffhanger ending that sets up the sequel, Halo 3. GameSpot noted that the story switching between the Covenant and Human factions made the plot more intricate, but also distracted the player from Earth's survival and the main point of the game. There is also some criticism of the game's on-the-fly streaming and level of detail adjustment, which can sometimes result in textures loading erroneously and "popping in" when the camera changes in cutscenes. Bungie has stated that this issue has been fixed for Halo 3 and the Windows Vista port. In an interview with Edge magazine in January 2007, Jamie Greisemer, one of Halo's design leads, said that the main reason for Halo 2's shortcomings was a lack of "polish" period near the end of the development cycle. Staff member Frank O’Connor admitted the cliffhanger ending was abrupt, noting “we drove off Thelma & Louise style". Nonetheless, in the interview Greisemer promised that they would make Halo 3 a more than worthy successor. Statistics Halo 2 was released November 9, 2004. The game was one of the most highly anticipated games on the Xbox. It sold more than the original. On the morning of October 14, a leak of the French version of the game was posted on the Internet, and circulated widely. Microsoft, the parent company of Bungie, tried to contain the spread, and pledged to bring legal action against anyone who spread the leaked version. Thanks to the hype, Halo 2 sold one of the most copies of any games of all time. Regardless, Microsoft later touted that there were 1.5 million pre-orders for Halo 2 in the United States alone and that this guaranteed it to have the largest first-day revenue of any game or movie ever.http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10/19/news_6110893.html The game sold 2.4 million copies and earned up to $125 million US in its first 24 hours on store shelves.http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/10/news_6112915.html As of March 2006, the game has sold over eight million copies worldwideThe History of Bungie, Page 8 Accessed 6-20-2007. Themes Halo 2 greatly expanded the plot introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved, and many themes and parallels to the real world can be drawn. Dealing with the consequences of society and government within the Covenant world, Halo 2 shows that technology alone cannot win wars. Covenant society is deeply troubled with a corrupt government of Prophets who know more than they tell and order an act of genocide against their long-loyal Elites. While the Covenant is far more technologically advanced than humans, their society is divided and races do not get along. The humans are shown as more united and exhibit more teamwork while attempting to stop the Covenant, despite being outnumbered and out-gunned. Playing as the Arbiter, the player only fights other Covenant, making it apparent that their forces are not all focused on the humans and their civil war and disorganization makes them a weaker force, despite greater firepower. The Flood is mostly a primitive race but is still able to infiltrate High Charity and Cortana is still able to hack into their system because the Covenant never created a solid foundation and underestimated their enemies. The game shows that the power of determination is more powerful than that of technology. This is evident in both Master Chief's plot line as well as the Arbiter's, who manages to survive because he constantly focuses on his objective. He tells Tartarus that the Index is his only goal when he asks if he would seek revenge against the Master Chief. The game also has element of a monomyth, a common structure in many stories of adventure. Halo 2 begins with Master Chief being awoken and called for combat while the Arbiter is spared and is given the choice to become a martyr. The Arbiter is put through a series of trials which he is expected to fail; when he doesn't, he realizes that the Prophets have turned against him and learns where his true alliances lie, becoming a central role in the Covenant Civil War. These events fit into the description of the first half of a typical monomyth. Trivia ''Halo 2'' is the only Halo game to... *...allow the player to pilot the Spectre. *...use the Major Sentinel Beam. *...allow the player to dual-wield the Needler. *...allow the player to fight Enforcers. *...let the player use the Scarab Gun. *...allow you to see the weapon you used in gameplay on cutscenes (sometimes heavy weapons are not shown) *...not have any sorts of power-ups in campaign (not counting skulls). *...have two-part levels and two-part cutscenes. *...allow you to use Active Camouflage as the Arbiter. *...have Grunts, Hunters and Jackals as allies. *...show an Elite without armor. *...have a Shadow. *...not include the Assault Rifle. *...not encounter 343 Guilty Spark or Sentinels while playing as the Master Chief. *...take place on a Installation 05 other than Installation 04. *...not have a Fuel Rod Gun in multiplayer. *...have a Brute wield a Shotgun. *...have a lock-on feature on the Rocket Launcher. *...let you fight and kill a Prophet in-game. *...take place on a Human Orbital Platform. *...let you battle Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman. *...not have a "legendary ending". *...not to have the protagonists escape from an explosion in its "last level". ''Halo 2'' is the last Halo game to... *...have campaign levels that take place in space. *...have Elites as enemies. *...run on the PC. *...see Grunts with active camo. *...say that 4 kills is a Killtacular. *...have the Team Training and the H2 Challenge playlist. *...allow the player to have four of each grenades at a time. (Not counting Halo 3 Custom Games) *...let you use the M19 SAM Rocket Launcher Miscellaneous *The "vine" that Miranda Keyes uses to make it to the index is actually one of the Gravemind's tentacles. It is speculated by some players that the Gravemind was planning on letting Miranda get the index, and then making her fall into his pit, which would lead her and the index to his "lair". There, the index would be, theoretically, unobtainable by the Covenant, which would keep him and the rest of the Flood safe on the ring. *Originally, there were to be several kinds of Warthogs including an Arctic model (which was included in the Halo 3 DLC multiplayer map Avalanche), a transport vehicle and a small ATV (known as the Mongoose in Halo 3) would make an appearance. These were all cut from the final version of the game. However, in Halo: Custom Edition, fans created the arctic and transport warthogs, as well as the civilian warthog featured in the multi-player map Headlong. A rocket-launcher enabled Warthog was included in Halo PC and the ATV and variations of the Warthog appear in Halo 3. *Bungie has referred to Halo 2 as "...a lot like Halo: Combat Evolved. Only it's Halo: Combat Evolved on fire, going 120 miles per hour in a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas. And the ninjas are all on fire too." This phrase inspired various references, in the game and throughout the community, to burning ninjas. *A song, known as "Remembrance" at the start up screen, (The unedited version found on the “''Halo 2'' Original Sound Track Volume 1") just happens to play for exactly 1:17 (John's serial number) or 77 seconds. *There are 21,090 lines of dialogue, most of them randomly triggered during combat.Halo Dialogue Statistics, from the source - HBO, November 12, 2007 *Originally, at the end of Cairo Station there wasn't going to be a bomb, but another level taking place on the Covenant carrier where you would fight a Drinol. At the end of the level when you destroy it, you get to free fall onto the In Amber Clad, and can look around when falling. This level was deleted. Halo 3 Legendary Edition, Cut-scene Commentary. *Halo 2's legendary difficulty is said to be one of the the hardest difficulty levels out of the Halo franchise. *When you attempt to load up Halo 2 on the Xbox 360 it will not let you connect to XBL unless you have "Allow Xbox Originals live" Option set to yes in the parental controls. *On the third level of Halo 2, there is a Battle-Ready Marine with injuries. *On the first level as Spartan-117; when you're in the armory when you are supposedly not holding a weapon, but if you look down at your shadow, he is holding an SMG. *If you subtract the first two levels where you don't do anything, then the levels you play with Thel 'Vadamee, all is left are 7 levels you play as Master Chief, a minor 7 reference. *When the Brute Chieftain Tartarus brands The Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee with the Mark of Shame, the brand doesn't make contact with Thel 'Vadamee's skin. It also appears that the brand is central to Thel 'Vadamee's chest, yet the Mark of Shame is on his left side of his chest. *You cannot skip the credits in Halo 2. Related Links Internal Links *''Halo 2'' Credits *[[List of Halo 2 changes|List of Halo 2 changes]] *[[List of "Seven" references in Halo|List of "Seven" references in Halo]] *[[Early Halo 2 Script|Early Halo 2 Script]] *Character Compatibility External Links *Bungie's Official Halo 2 Site *Halo 2 Easter Eggs *Xbox.com's Official Halo 2 Site *"Frankie's Bungie Updates" Sources es:Halo 2 de:Halo 2 Category:Games